2014年10月5日日曜日

You can enjoy making Bizen pottery representing traditional crafts of Okayama in the Okayama castle. It is located on the first floor of the castle tower. Everyone from children to adults can enjoy it.... Please make a special memory in Okayama.

2014年9月14日日曜日

Here is a conservation area of historic townscape,
Joto.

Joto used to
be a castle town of Tsuyama castle, and houses and buildings
from the Edo era are well preserved. It takes about 25min by car from Shurakuen garden.

Some samurai residences are opened to the public. First, we
visited ‘Sakushu Joto
yashiki’. This building used to be a school in the Maiji
era. Here is also a place where Japanese film ‘Otoko ha tsuraiyo’ was shot.

Behind this building, there’s an exhibition room for carnival floats. They are
called‘danjiri’.

Tsuyama City has 28
danjiri which are designated as important cultural assets of Okayama, and four
of them are exhibited here at the moment.

Those danjiri appear
at Tsuyama festival (at Osumi shrine) in November
once every 2years.

Let’s go inside

What a gorgeous floatIt has a driver’s seat and a steering wheel
It’s funny...

The oldest danjiri was made in 1856

Dragons are curved on the roof of
each danjiri. So elaborate…and beautifulMaybe I'd better come back to see Tsuyama
festival

In the exhibition room, some paintings by a local
painter, Isao Kono are
displayed. I also liked them

You can see some old furniture and tools at Sakushu Joto yashiki.
(left）stairs
with drawers (right) kitchen tools

It also has a big rest room. Those ‘fusuma (movable doors)’ are designed by Isao Kono. He draw a snow scene
in Tsuyama and wild flowers. I'd love to have doors like those in my house

Next, we visited a residence where Genpo Mitsukuri used to live until he
became 14years old. He was a scholar of
Western learning in the Edo era.

I found a statue of him in the gardenHe was good at English as well, so he was asked
to translate some important English documents when Matthew Calbraith Perry visited
Japan in 1853.

Apart from that, I noticed small red
stuff hung at the entrance. Apparantely, they are called ‘kukuri saru
(bound monkeys)’.They are traditional
lucky charm. It’s displayed to welcome visitors.

At the end of our trip,
we tried local specialty ‘hormone
udon’I’ll tell you about it in the upcoming episode.

A
conservation area : Joto district Address: the area between
Hashimoto town and Higashi sin machi in Tsuyama City Tel: 0868-22-3310（Tsuyama tourist association）

OKAYAMA has more than peaches and grapes. They are producers of many other high quality fruits as well. We owe it to the gifted environment and the honest personality of the people of Okayama.Here, we would like to introduce just a few of the wide variety of fruits produced in Okayama. Find out more about the magnificent fruits of Okayama!

Japanese, Western and Chinese pears

【Atago Pear】

It is the size of a baby’s head. The fruit is bursting with juice.The Japanese pear is a popular classy gift because the receiver is ought to be a bit surprised with the size.Since it is really large, one fruit is enough for one family to enjoy.

Atago pears are in season from mid-November till late December.

【Niitakanashi】

A large Japanese pear that is very sweet.

It is stored for one month after harvest for extra crispy texture, elegant fragrance and rich flavor.One fruit weighs about 500 to 1,000g, so they are very popular to send as gifts.

They are in season from early September till late November.

【Sliver bell】

Silver bells made in Okayama are very sweet and sour and have a rich taste.They need extra ripening, so it is best to eat them after they have been left in room temperature for a few days and they become slightly soft.The texture is soft as if it melts in your mouth and has plenty of juice. It’s becoming more and more popular.This is a rather large type of pear.Silver bell are in season from early December till early January.

【Passe Crassane】

It looks rugged and rusty, but the fruit inside has a very creamy texture, plenty of juice and an elegant fragrance.Passe Crassane is said to be a ‘hidden delicacy among the people who really know’.Okayama produces 90% of the market share in Japan.

Passe Crassane are in season from early December till late January.

【Yarie (Chinese pear)】

This Chinese pear with elegant flavor has a unique flavor so it is sometimes referred to as the “fragrant pear”.It is not a round shape like Japanese pears.This pear is filled with refreshing juice and is also a popular gift.Okayama has the largest market share of Yarie.

Yarie are in season from mid-November till late December.

Other fruits

【Lemon】

Lisbon lemons that are produced in Ushimado (Setouchi City) which is called the ‘Aegean Sea of Japan’ are becoming popular these days because you can use the whole lemon, including the skin.Thanks to the warm climate facing the Seto Inland Sea, “Okayama” is fit for cultivating high quality citrus fruits (which are unsuitable for eating fresh) such as citron, sudachi, kabossu, etc.

Lemons are in season from mid-October till mid-January.

【Strawberry】

Strawberries are produced all over Japan, and Okayama is one of the high quality producers.Okayama produces “Beni-hoppe”, “Akihime”, “Sagahonoka”, and “Sachinoka”. They are known to be varieties that are large and sweet.Major production areas are Saidaiji and Kumenan.

Strawberries are in season from early December till late May.

【Atago-gaki (persimmon) / Saijyo-gaki】

Sour persimmons are called Saijyo-gaki and after the sourness is removed, it is sold in markets by the name of Atago-gaki.It is a popular winter fruit with a melty texture and rich flavor.The beautiful appearance and vivid dark orange color of the fruit attracts people’s attention.

Persimmons are in season from early October till late November.(Atago-gaki are sold until the end of December.)

“The Fruit Kingdom”, Okayama produces other tasty fruits as well; figs, melons, plums, Unshu mikans, etc. Okayama is filled with fruits!Please, come and taste for yourself, the “delicious fruits” of Okayama! You’ll definitely get to experience the taste that you will never forget!

It is one of the National Holiday and held on the third Monday in September. It is held on September 15 this year. The Article 2 of the law concerning national holidays prescribes that the aim of "...Respect for the Aged Day" is to "honor elderly citizens and their service to society."